Changing the classification status quo with a global genome-based taxonomy

生物学中的一个重大挑战是重建地球上生命的完整进化史。实现这一目标的一个主要障碍是无法培养构成进化多样性的大部分微生物物种。然而，新的分子技术已经消除了这一障碍，通过对环境样本进行测序，每月都会发现1000种新的微生物物种。该项目旨在将培养的和未培养的微生物多样性组织成一个系统的进化框架，以取代目前高度有缺陷和不完整的微生物分类。对微生物世界的系统分类是及时的，将使人们能够从根本上洞察生态和进化。

A grand challenge in biology is the reconstruction of the complete evolutionary history of life on our planet. A major hurdle to this goal has been the inability to culture most microbial species which comprise the bulk of evolutionary diversity. However, new molecular techniques have removed this hurdle and >1,000 new microbial species are being revealed each month through sequencing of environmental samples. This project aims to organise both cultured and uncultured microbial diversity into a systematic evolutionary framework to replace the current highly flawed and incomplete classification of microorganisms. The systematic classification of the microbial world is timely and will enable fundamental insights into ecology and evolution.